Nissan 370Z plays hide-and-seek

There are teaser images and there are, well... these.

Nissan has provided the barest hint of how its 350-replacing 370Z will shape up via these images, which show the outline of what is believed to be the next-gen coupe behind a tautly stretched sheet of fabric.

The 370Z is expected to make its world debut at September's Paris motor show, or at the Los Angeles show two months later.

This batch of teaser images follows in the wake of an artist's impression of the 370Z (codenamed C53D) published recently in a Japanese magazine and since circulated widely on Internet forums.

If the rendering is accurate, the 370Z will sport radical new arrow-shaped headlights that are a notable departure from the existing units. Other than these, the coupe's profile appears largely evolutionary -- albeit edgier.

Some sources are speculating the new-age coupe will be lighter and more compact than the existing sportster, while its 370Z nomenclature is indicative of the fact the car will be powered by Nissan's new 3.7-litre V6.

The VQ37VHR engine made its debut in the Infiniti G37 Coupe, and in that offering it pumps out 246kW and 366Nm -- figures that represent handy increments over the 350Z's quotas of 230kW and 358Nm.

The new engine also debuts Nissan's VVVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) technology, which is similar in principle to BMW's Valvetronic.

This Carsales scribe has driven the Infiniti G37 Coupe and can confirm that the 3.7 donk is pleasingly punchy, albeit not as sonorous or smooth as a BMW straight-six.

Nissan insiders last year promised the 370Z would offer "considerably more performance than the current model and give a visual stimulus beyond today's Z."

If this is indeed the case, the car should represent strong bang-for-buck value, as the existing coupe is already decidedly rapid for a car priced under $70K.

Meanwhile, the company has also revealed a top-view sculpture of future Infiniti design elements (the red blob pictured alongside). Although the sculpture doesn't give away too much, it seems to indicate Infiniti is experimenting with Mazda RX-8-esque flared guards.

Watch this space...

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